The Ukrainian Army has made use for the first time of the permission received from the US and other Western allies to use the weapons sent to it against certain military objectives located within Russia, destroying with a American-made HIMARS an anti-aircraft system deployed in the Russian Belgorod Oblast.

“Ukrainian forces hit a Russian S-300/400 air defense battery in Belgorod Oblast, presumably with HIMARS, on June 1 or 2,” the newspaper wrote in its daily report on the conflict. Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington, which cites geolocated information from open sources to reach this conclusion. The ISW adds that the partially destroyed air defense system was located north of the city of Belgorod, the regional capital of the homonymous oblast.

“The S-300/400 was located about 60 kilometers from the current front line in the north of the oblast (Ukrainian and bordering Belgorod) of Kharkiv and more than 80 kilometers from the city of Kharkivwhich is within the range of HIMARS but exceeds that of other multiple launch rocket systems” that Ukraine has, notes the ISW.

The destruction with Western weapons of a Russian air defense system was confirmed last night on her Facebook account by the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Reintegration of the Occupied Territories, Irina Vershchuk, who did not specify the type of weaponry used in the attack and who later deleted his post.

The permission of some countries to attack on Russian soil

In recent weeks, Ukraine has received permission from more than a dozen allied countries to hit certain Russian military objectives located within the Russian Federation with the weapons they send to Kyiv. Until now they didn’t allow him to use his weapons to attack Russian territory fear of possible retaliation from Moscow.

The United States has been one of the last to join to the list of countries lifting the ban, although it continues to limit the use of its weapons to certain military targets inside Russia that the Russians use to attack the Kharkiv region.

The cross border offensive launched by Russia in the middle of last month against the region of Kharkivwhere it has managed to open a new front, triggered concern both in Kyiv and in Western capitals.

Ukraine He then began a campaign to be allowed to attack with weapons which receives troop concentrations, missile launchers, artillery systems, aircraft and other military targets that Russia uses to attack Kharkiv from its own territory.

Ukrainian pressure has had an effect and Kyiv can now hit certain targets inside Russiaalthough it aspires for its partners to completely eliminate restrictions on the use of their weapons against legitimate targets that are on Russian territory.